9.25.2012

Black Girls' Night Out: Help Wanted

It's that time of the year. You what time it is: Fall, a.k.a. Season/Series Premier Time. Already the emails are starting and folks are reminding me to tune into stuff this week.

The Black Girls Night Out series will continue, but I need help from the Gate. I need my co-writers and readers to scribble about what they're watching as well because there's some stuff I'm probably just going to have to wait for on DVD and Netflix streaming.

In short, I need help from the Gate.

So call over your girlfriends, set up a chat with your faraway ones (Amaya and I used to do this), and keep a notepad nearby while you watch shows featuring Black women this fall.

Because when the shows return, you know it's going to be on.

From commenter Lori Smith:

Hi Ankhesen, I just wrote in your blog earlier today about Scandal and Person of Interest returning with new episodes this Thursday. Lo and behold, I came across a "Person of Interest" livejournal post from a few days ago in which a majority of the female posters wrote about their dislike for Carter. Her "rudeness" was emphasized, and her inappropriate "sexiness" also was mentioned. Here are some of the recent comments made by Carter's detractors: "As I've gone back and re-watched Season 1, I'm facinated by the dichotomy in the cops of Carter's precinct. All the plain clothes male detectives have on suits and ties and are very professional looking (even our Lionel). Carter walks around in blouses that have very plunging necklines, oft-times heels and in at least one episode a black leather vest & pants ('Ghosts' when she's investigating the girl's uncle's murder). I know that the way the characters are presented are from the point of view of the show's creators and the writers have to work within their guidelines but it would be so refreshing to have a self-reliant, intelligent positive female character lead in a film or television program that did not indirectly or otherwise trade on their sexuality." "One of the things that bothers me about Carter. She is a smart, professional woman with great ethics – but her curiosity is so dull and doesn’t seem very capable of thinking outside the box." "For me she is not someone I want to meet or watch. I tend to fast forward or tune out her scenes. I find rudeness appalling. I find her uninteresting." Reading these posts caused me to shake my head and to think about the NUMEROUS other black female characters on TV who are hated in fandom. I know that Carter had her detractors during the early episodes, but I thought that ended when she became a part of the vigilante team. Nope. Naive me. The hatred of black female characters continues. You can view the recent anti-Carter posts here: http://pofinterest-fic.livejournal.com/317627.html Yes, most of the posters are white females who ship Reese and Finch.

6 comments:

This is why I give up on fandom....any fandom. At what point has Carter EVER traded on her sexuality?The reason Reese respects her is because of her unflinching moral compass, as well as her intelligence and resourcefulness, not because he thinks she's hot. And so what if the male characters and fans think she is sexy? Since when does any of that mean that a woman is lacking in other areas? What? Are you threatened by the idea that a bw woman may be seen as a whole fucking person? That it is possible to accept the totality of a woman's existence and yes that includes her sex appeal? Screw that fan for trying to jezebel/sapphire Carter like that. Has it never occurred to that fan that Carter has spent her career in white male dominated fields and that in order to be taken seriously she may have to be tough?

And honestly Henson is a sexy woman. She cannot hide it. Same goes for Carter. Would she like Joss to wear a sack over her face and body because it really does not matter what she wears; she is attractive. Sorry she gets in the way of your Finch/Reese fantasies....even though it is established that Finch has a spouse whom he still keeps an eye on even though she believes he is dead. Slash is cool, but do not use it to justify your racialized misogyny.

There are problems with the way Carter is written. She is not used as much as she should be. So if the problem is her "dull curiousity" blame the writers. Even that criticism does not hold up when it is clear that she is trying to piece together the mystery of John Reese.

Sorry for the rant but I stan for Carter so hard. The character is treated so unfairly by fans.

And you notice that Caveziel/Reese can rock a suit like no one else, but he is not accused of trading on his appearance/sexuality when he has actually charmed women on the show. He can be manipulative but Carter being direct is rude. Yeah, ok.

You know....for a bunch of women supposedly at the bottom of the social/beauty totem pole, it's always funny to see how The Ones On Top react when we get even a little bit of shine. And, yes, that shit's getting VERY old.

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